2025-05-09

jjangwonrei_sha758: a photo of ive wonyoung on a red background, with the caption "ATTITUDE" with capitalized letters (Default)
2025-05-09 12:08 am
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HOW TO AVOID BURNOUT WHILE WRITING

I learned this the hard way, being burnt out from writing after completing my third paid book and having worked on partly some fanfictions. and here's what I have to say with all the brainrot I stuffed into my head and most of them are useless in the real world. Do not make the same mistakes I made, and here's what I've learned from my two and more years of writing as a "serious" hobby.

**Treat writing as if you're making a mindmap or having a conversation with yourself.**

When you start writing, imagine you're talking to someone who wants to hear what you have to say. You might feel like they're interrupting you or wanting to add their own voice to the discussion. That's okay – it means you're really engaged and passionate about sharing your thoughts! AND THATS COOL TOO CUZ YOU GET A FREE BOOST IN WRITING YAY. Ride the high cuz you wont get it all the time, just rapidly scribble all those thoughts when you can, and if not, well... there's always next time, hopefully!

**As you begin to write, think of each line or paragraph as a separate thread connecting to another idea or concept.** Try to visualize how your thoughts are flowing together and forming a cohesive narrative. I did try this a lot in my third book, and have plotted the entirety of my fourth book with this style. However, I have used bullet points and havent used the conversation/mind map technique as often in my stories, but they do help me a lot when writing long letters to friends.

You might also consider using prompts or exercises to get started, like "What would happen if I changed one word?" or "How could I describe my favorite hobby in a single sentence?" I learned this from kat, and now I did get to try some romance story prompts for my future stories... but I've yet too actually write them lol

**Don't take everything too seriously; lessen sources of stress.** Don't worry about grammar, spelling, or clarity unless absolutely necessary. Let your thoughts flow freely onto paper without editing or censoring yourself.

**Take breaks between drafts.** Stop when you feel slight fatigue and do a different activity e.g. video games or drinking water, then return to writing when you regained energy. Writing regularly can become monotonous and a source of stress.

**Write about things you're interested in rather than trying too hard to impress other writers.** The main reason I write is because I have all these goofy ahh stories which either don't exist yet or I don't know they exist. But I'll write them anyway because these ideas are so clumped in my already filled brain

**Keep sentences concise instead of verbose.** Cut out unnecessary words and phrases to keep your writing concise and focused. This will allow you to express your ideas more effectively.

**Include visuals where possible** It's so useful to capture sceneries, locations and overall vibes of a story. Used it for my third book (visions of sunsets, winter and fall) and wip fourth book which has lots of farm, rural and harvest festival themes.

**Focus on storytelling.** Instead of trying to convey complex information, focus on creating engaging narratives that capture readers' attention and imagination. Use anecdotes, examples, and vivid descriptions to bring your story to life.
**Use humor judiciously:** Humor is great for lightening heavy subjects and making reading enjoyable. However, ensure that any jokes or references align with your intended audience's preferences and sensitivities.

**Revise and edit carefully.** Editing is crucial when working on written content. Be ruthless when cutting sections or rewriting passages that don 't serve the overall purpose of your project. (I learned this the hard way, realizing not all scenes are good and that they are easily disposable if they dont fit the narrative. You can always repurpose them in future stories if they don't fit the current one, which I also did for a fanfiction and will be rewritten as a paid story).

Idk if these tips will help yall but I hope you enjoy reading my ramble xd